“Understanding and enhancing the brain by 2030” included as potential mission in LAB – FAB – APP report.

“Understanding and enhancing the brain by 2030” included as potential mission in LAB – FAB – APP report.

The High Level Group on maximising the impact of EU Research and Innovation Programmes (HLG), led by former WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, presented the report LAB – FAB – APP Investing in the European Future we want on the 3rd of July. This document provides key recommendations for maximizing the impact of future EU research and innovation programmes.

The aim to understand and enhance the brain by 2030 is listed as a potential mission for the post-2020 EU Framework Programme (FP9) under recommendation 5. The European Brain Council (EBC) contributed to the development of the report by providing written input.

The report was presented during the high-level conference “Research & Innovation – shaping our future” attended by the EBC. Research, Science and Innovation Commissioner Carlos Moedas, who hosted the event, emphasized the importance of putting research and innovation at the level of EU heads of state. In his closing remarks Commissioner Moedas explained that “The evidence is clear that we need both European funding and national funding for research and innovation. Also, an ambitious increase would demonstrate our commitment to cut the gap with the US and others. And to take leadership in investing in the future.” The conference was organized in the context of the publication of the Commission`s White Paper on the Future of Europe.

In total the LAB – FAB – APP report includes 11 recommendations for the next EU Framework Programme.

Doubling the budget of the next EU research scheme, which is planned to cover the period 2021-2027, to at least 120 billion euro is among the recommendations (the budget of the current programme is 77 billion). Pascal Lamy emphasized in his introduction to “…get rid of the notion that research and innovation is not relevant to society.”

Other recommendations include cutting the number of R&I funding schemes, mobilizing and involving citizens and adopting a mission orientated approach for addressing global challenges.

The report has been developed on the basis of consultations and the interim evaluation of the Horizon 2020 programme.

The conference brought together nearly 700 stakeholders to discuss the future of EU research. Key speakers included Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General of DG Research and Innovation, and Mailis Reps, Minister of Education and Research of the Republic of Estonia.